Tangled Threads
by SakuraSpark
Summary: Trish is a confident and successful professional matchmaker. Join her in her attempts to match singles together to their dream lovers. But in all the red threads that she ties together, can she tie one for her best friends and more importantly...herself? Or will it all be one tangled mess? AU. Trez and Auslly.
1. Love Concierge

A/N: Based on the television drama, 'Marry Me'.

Characters will be slightly OOC.

Thank you to **WinterFairy7337** for her wonderful beta help.

I do not own Austin and Ally.

* * *

"On February 14th last year, many restaurants were fully-booked in advance. Roses were sold out early in the morning and hotels enjoyed full occupancy. What were you doing then?"

The soft-spoken girl murmured something in response.

"Why eat microwaved meals all by yourself at home? Everyone has a right to find his or her other half. Even puppies and other small animals have a right to be loved," the lady said, wagging a finger at the girl.

"Even if you don't have a nice figure, you can find a man who is willing to have tea, chat, listen to a musical and watch a romantic movie with you. Are you prepared to welcome love?" the woman stood up, and walked towards the girl as she visibly gulped at the beauty and elegance before her.

"On February 14th this year, do not eat pre-packed meals alone again. Let's make this Valentine's Day the most memorable day of your life," she lifted the girl's chin up with a finger.

"There are no spinsters, only women who don't wish to get married."

The girl stood up quickly in excitement and asked, "How much is your matchmaking package?"

Trish smiled widely in response.

* * *

-end-

A/N: Happy Valentine's! What do you think of the introduction? The first chapter will officially be up later. I hope you and your other half are enjoying yourselves today. Me? I shall cosy up to my pillow. #foreveralone


	2. Episode 1

A/N: Once again, Happy Valentine's Day!

Many thanks to **WinterFairy7337** for her intensive beta help.

I do not own Austin & Ally.

* * *

It was a sunny day at the beach as most of Miami's residents were convened there for fun and games. Young men and women tossed around volleyballs while families played in the sand. Lots of laughter and screams of delight mingled with the light, salty breeze.

At a quiet table at an outdoor beach café, a girl sipped at her drink before looking around at the lithe teenage girls around her. She then rubbed her tummy and arms before awkwardly covering herself up with her cardigan.

Observing the sight quietly, a man sneered with disgust and turned to the girl next to him. "She's not my cup of tea," he stated.

Trish smiled and replied, "I know. You like vivacious girls who like to dress up."

The man smiled and glanced at a pair of girls wearing bikinis running past. "Yes, but you still introduced her to me?" He frowned and pointed at the quiet girl.

"The computer ran a selection and match. The both of you have an over 90% compatibility index!"

"I paid a bomb for the membership and you want me to listen to a _computer_?" he replied incredulously.

"The computer match is just a supplementary aid. More importantly, you two share similar interests, you'll have lots of common topics in future."

The man looked disgruntled. "I have friends who share similar interests as me. What I want is—"

Trish held up a hand in interruption, smiling before saying with a soft scoff, "What you want is a girl who is spirited, pretty and adorable." She stood up and struck a pose causing the guy looking at her in a mesmerised daze.

"A vibrant girl is bound to have many suitors. She probably likes to make many friends too. Are _you_ OK with it?" continued Trish with a pout on her face.

"Uh…" the man trailed off, looking uncertain.

"A pretty and adorable girl likes to dress up and spend money. If she covets branded stuff as well, it will be tough on your finances. Are you willing to spend on her?" Trish placed a hand on his shoulder. He happily moved to grab it, but she removed it before he could.

He thinned his lips and said, "But when I signed up for the package, you promised to find my dream lover."

Trish grinned at him before she sat back down and rummaged in her bag for something. Swiftly taking out a card-like object, she handed it over to him.

"Ew, who is this?" It was a photograph of a frumpy-looking woman with a large poof of unruly hair wearing thick glasses and bumpkin clothes. "Surely you're not going to introduce her to me?"

Trish rested her chin against her hand and smirked, "You can't recognise her? That's me."

"Huh? What? That's impossible!" He held up the photo against the Latina for comparison.

"Women need packaging," explained Trish. "Do you have any investments?"

"Erm, I've bought shares before."

"Very good. This Sunhee now is like a potential stock – best time to buy low," she pointed at the bespectacled girl looking around nervously. "After her value increases with packaging, you won't be able to buy it at this price."

He started to look anxious. "Get going before you miss it!" urged Trish. He hurriedly nodded and started to leave to go talk to the girl before turning back. "It's 'packaging' and not 'modification', right?" he asked.

Trish gave him a knowing smile. "Of course it's packaging," she clarified for him. "Don't worry, leave it to me."

* * *

Trish enjoyed the wind blowing through her curls as she drove her red convertible home, speeding smoothly along the highways of Miami and the sights before arriving at an affluent neighbourhood.

Turning in and parking neatly at one of the many classy bungalows, Trish got out of the car in her four inch heels while simultaneously speaking on her phone.

"You're so annoying. When was I ever late for the programme? Do you have any idea what the signs of ageing are? Not wrinkles or white hair. It's when one starts to nag and loses one's nice disposition—"

Trish opened the door only to be greeted by a "Mommy!" as a boy ran to hug her.

"Ahh!" Trish gave a surprised shout when she found her dress suddenly decorated with two fresh, chocolaty handprints.

The boy looked up at her as Trish removed her sunglasses to stare down at him. Kneeling down to his height, she thinned her lips and narrowed her eyes at him. "You-" she started, but the boy ran away before she could scold him.

Trish gave a huff of anger and stood up. "Ally Dawson!" she yelled.

"What's the matter?" a hassled looking Ally ran out of the kitchen. She was wearing rubber gloves and an apron.

"Ugh!" Trish griped and groaned, making her way through the huge mess of toys strewn across the living room floor. "Ow!" she cried as she stepped on a piece of Lego.

Aggravated, she started to march towards the boy. Ally was quick enough to restrain her before Trish could do anything inappropriate. "He's just a boy! He didn't do it on purpose!" Ally tried to reason with her. "Let me clean those stains for you." The two struggled for a bit with Trish trying to get at the boy before she froze.

She looked down at her feet; one foot was standing on a slice of chocolate cake. Ally winced as she saw the sight. Trish looked up at Ally with a pained look as Ally gave a sheepish grin.

"Boy, don't run!" cried Trish. She once again attempted to chase after him. The two of them ran in circles around Ally as she tried to mediate the situation.

"His name is Casper!"

Trish stopped, breathing out a sigh of frustration. Ally handed her a few wet tissues and patted her on the back "Who cares if he's Casper or the Friendly Ghost?" the Latina panted. "If you like kids so much, have one of your own. Where did this rascal come from?"

"Casper!" corrected Ally, again.

"This dress is very expensive!" whined Trish. She hastily wiped off her feet and attempted to analyse the stains on her dress.

"His parents are not at home. Since I'm not working today, I offered to take care of him. Besides, I had helped to deliver him five years ago and we're neighbours," smiled Ally as she wiped chocolate off the boy.

"Dr. Dawson, if you're overflowing with maternal love, I beg of you to shower it on Dallas. Don't waste it on minors," said Trish as she tried to hop her way out of the mess. She looked back down at her dress and gave a pitiful moan. "My dress!"

Ally finished cleaning the boy up and ushered Trish toward the stairs. "Change out of your dress. I'll wash it for you."

"Ugh, no need. I'll do it myself," Trish got her arm out of Ally's grasp. "You settle that boy. You'd better lock him in a cage!"

The boy gave a soft wail and started crying, frightened by Trish.

Running to him with more tissues in hand, Ally desperately tried to console him. "Auntie Trish-"

"Sister!" exclaimed Trish.

"Sister Trish was just joking. Don't cry, ok?"

Trish got tired of the sight and turned to walk upstairs when she halted in her steps once again. She took in a deep breath as she looked down to see something white and gooey stuck to the bottom of her foot.

Another whine started coming out of Trish. Ally was on the scene at once. "Calm down!" she cried. "Maintain your poise. Mind your wrinkles." Ally pointed at Trish's forehead as Trish took more deep breaths to calm down.

"Let's breathe together. Inhale, exhale, inhale…10, 9, 8, 7, 6-" "This is too much!" Trish exploded and started to throw a fit.

"Yes, yes. It's my fault," pacified Ally as she wiped up the goo.

"Our house has become a kennel! It's ridiculous," observed Trish as she gazed at the mess.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll tidy up the place," said Ally as she started picking up the mess and stuffing rubbish into a trash bag.

"I don't want to live in a refugee camp, OK?" Trish sulked.

"Sorry, sorry," repeated Ally. "I'll clean up the place by today."

Trish gave a derisive snort. "Saying sorry is not going to solve the problem," she said firmly as she sat on a step.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Calm down, Okay?"

"How can I not get worked up?" Ally turned around to find Trish next to her. She looked at her for a minute before she realised something.

"Wait a minute!" Ally removed her gloves before giving Trish an incredulous look. "I'm pretty sure that this is my house?"

Trish's eyes widened before grinning sheepishly back at Ally. "I'm doing it for you and the house," said Trish as she took a tissue and wiped perspiration off Ally's forehead.

Ally shook her head at her best friend and Trish looked around for something that could help when her sights landed on the boy.

"Casper…" Trish cooed. Ally smirked as Trish walked towards the boy who was retreating rapidly.

"Casper, don't run away! Auntie Trish loves you! Give me a kiss," she cried as she hugged the boy who started to freak out and sob.

"Alright Casper, don't cry," Ally shooed the boy into the backyard to play.

Trish stood up and looked at the boy running away with a pout. "I haven't even kissed you yet. In ten years, I bet you'll appreciate my beauty. You'll regret it by then. Hmph!"

After much pacifying by Ally with the boy, and Trish pleading non-stop, the curly-haired girl finally got her friend to agree to loan her car, which… she had been driving the entire day anyway.

* * *

"The date is February 7th, 2014. Hi everyone, I'm DJ Ladybug. In 30 minutes, '_A Tangled Web_' will come on air. Our guest host and love consultant, the gorgeous matchmaker, Trish de la Rosa, will be on air later to share with us some love stories and answer all kinds of questions on love. Listeners who would like to chat with us can call our hotline or text us to talk."

Tilly put on another song as she looked at her watch anxiously and prepared the webcam.

* * *

_*There's no way I could make it without you* _Trish's phone rang again. A glance at her phone told her that Tilly was calling her again. _Reject Call._

* * *

Tilly was spinning in her chair, her worry worsening as the clock ticked. The door to the studio opened and Tilly spun around to see Trish strutting in confidently to take her seat.

Tilly gave her a quick smile and admonishing look before beginning the programme.

"It's February 7th, 2014 today. I'm DJ Ladybug and welcome to _A Tangled Web_ with Trish de la Rosa."

"Hi everyone, I'm Trish. It's time to talk about love again. Call in right away!"

* * *

"Could you try to come on time in future?" scowled Tilly as the two friends left the studio together.

"DJ Ladybug, you need not face the camera, but I do. My fans will be disappointed if I don't 'package' myself. It's called respect."

"You're beautiful enough," replied Tilly.

"I know that. But being beautiful is not enough. One must be poised and mysterious. A true beauty makes men hanker after and go crazy about her. By the way, I've arranged a date for you the day after tomorrow."

"Come again?!" screeched Tilly as she paused in her footsteps.

Trish turned back with a smile. "Miss Tilly Thompson, you have a blind date the day after tomorrow. Please be punctual." Trish patted the cheek of a panicky looking Tilly.

* * *

The door swished open quietly as Trish peeked in.

Greeted with the sight of a normal, chaos-free living room, Trish breathed a sigh of relief and she and Tilly entered their home.

"His parents have taken him home," Ally, walking in from the kitchen, piped up. She took a seat at the table. "I've also brought your dress to the dry cleaner's, Trish."

"Aww, you shouldn't have," Trish said flattered. "I can do it myself next time…There won't be a next time…right?"

Ally smiled and shook her head in quiet amusement. Then she noticed the frown on Tilly's face "What's wrong, Tilly?" she asked the blonde girl.

"Cheer up! It's rare for my club to find a suitable match for you. How can you miss it?" lectured Trish.

Ally glanced back and forth between the two of them. Now she understood what was going on with Tilly. "Another blind date?" Tilly nodded vigorously.

Trish shot Ally with a look.

"Uh, it's…nice to make more friends," the brunette replied hesitantly. Secretly, she couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Tilly.

"See, Ally supports me too," Trish told Tilly. "You think it's easy to make friends in the Love Concierge club? The membership is expensive."

Tilly started making crying noises, "Help me…" Her shoulders slumped as she made her way upstairs.

"I _am_ helping you! You're twenty-five this year. Buck up or you'll be left on the shelf!"

"Um. We're the same age and you're still unattached too!"

Trish gasped and playfully smacked Tilly on the bum as the latter rushed upstairs.

"Hey! I'm different, okay?" Trish shouted up the stairs indignantly. "You have no one to choose from, while I'm at a loss with too many choices. And Ally is-" She turned around to find Ally speaking into her phone.

"I've an important operation to attend to tomorrow. Let's call off the dinner."

_Oh, Ally._ Trish went up to her friend with an accusatory look. "You left a voicemail again. Can't you afford to call him and chat with him? All you do is leave voicemails."

Ally smiled innocently up at her. "Both of us are very busy," she reasoned.

"Busy? You're free to babysit your neighbour's son, but you're not free to meet your boyfriend?"

"Dallas and I have been together for ten years. Both of us are adults, we need not stick to each other all day."

Trish shook her head at her friend. "Any idea why the third party holds the most power now? That's because the real girlfriend is not 'sticky' enough."

"Dallas and I trust each other," said Ally confidently.

"Every relationship thrives on trust before it disintegrates. Get married! Come on, you guys have been together for so long. Otherwise, more problems will arise," Trish warned.

"We do have plans to get married next year!" Ally replied cheerfully, hoping that would reassure Trish. She started heading upstairs to get ready for bed.

"That's what you said last year too!" Trish shouted after her.

"Yo. You keep urging people to get married. What about yourself?" asked Tilly from upstairs.

"I, Trish de la Rosa, can get married anytime."

"When?" shouted Ally.

"Anytime!" replied Trish. "It's just…not the right time."

Ally and Tilly both smiled from inside their respective rooms.

"Speaking of which, a man is looking for me," added Trish as her phone beeped.

"Sebastian? Which Sebastian? Brown? Lomax? Lee? Hmmm….Sigh, my head is throbbing. I shall take a shower and think about it."

Ally and Tilly peeked out of their rooms and smirked at each other. "It's not the right time," they whispered before breaking out into giggles.

* * *

"Morning, Dr. Dawson!"

Ally smiled at the receptionists and nurses on the way to her office. In her haste to be on time for her first appointment, however, she accidentally knocked over a trashcan. It fell over sideways to the floor with a loud clang.

Ally gave a sigh of exasperation and bent down to pick it up.

"Freeze!"

Startled, she spun around to see Chuck, one of the male nurses, rushing up to her.

"Dr. Dawson, let me do it, don't dirty your hands."

"I can do it myself, you know," said Ally, giving him a look.

"No! My mom says that this is a job of men."

"It's just…picking up trash."

"No way, Dr Dawson. Your sacred hands are meant for carrying babies!"

Ally laughed and reached for a piece of garbage as Chuck hurriedly grabbed the rubbish away from her before jumping back suddenly with his hand behind his back and the sandwiches he was holding dropped onto the ground.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing…" Chuck attempted a smile, but came out looking more like a grimace.

Ally reached out for his hand and said sternly, "Let me take a look."

Chuck reluctantly showed Ally his hand. There was a deep cut from coming into contact with one of the metal soda cans that had a sharp edge. "I'm a man, this is nothing," added Chuck when Ally gave him a reproachful look.

"Come to my office, I'll disinfect it for you."

Ally walked off and turned back when she realised Chuck hadn't followed. He was looking mournfully at his fallen sandwiches on the ground. She stifled a giggle and walked off again.

* * *

Soon, Chuck's finger was bandaged up and Ally decided to get him something to eat from the hospital cafeteria. When she returned with a tray of food, he happily tucked into the meal.

"So, does your finger still hurt?" asked Ally.

Chuck swallowed the food in his mouth before answering. "No…" he said, shaking his head. "Sorry about getting my finger cut, Dr. Dawson. I wanted to help you, but I troubled you instead. How embarrassing!"

"Don't brood over it. You've been getting used to the work here, I presume?"

"So you've noticed?" An excited Chuck leaned towards a startled Ally. "The patients have all taken to me and we are as chummy as buddies!"

He continued with a grin, "When I first came here, they didn't really like me. Now, they often treat me to goodies. I am determined to be like you."

"Like me?"

Chuck suddenly stood up and said in a loud voice, "Yes! You're one of the top ten most popular female doctors in the whole building!" His wild gesticulation attracted the stares of other staff in the canteen while Ally tried to be as invisible as possible.

"Hence, I'm determined to become one of the top ten most popular male nurses too!"

Ally tugged on Chuck's shirt looking amused. "Sit down!" she instructed.

"I guess I have to congratulate you in advance then. There're less than ten male nurses in this building."

"Well!" Chuck puffed his chest out. "I stand a chance to be short-listed then!"

Ally laughed and she pushed his plate of food towards him, "Just eat up. The patients are waiting for you, top ten most popular nurse."

As Chuck returned his attention to the food in front of him, he looked at Ally shyly. "Dr. Dawson? Are you free next week?"

"Why do you ask?"

Chuck suddenly became nervous. "Oh. Er. Erm. My mum says that one must reciprocate favours. You bought me this meal, so I must give you a treat too."

"Oh. It's alright; I think I should be very busy next week anyway."

"The whole week? You have to work on Valentine's Day too?"

Ally shrugged, "I'm not sure. Didi is in charge of scheduling. You'd have to ask her."

Chuck smiled and nodded as he wondered about Ally being unable to keep her boyfriend company on Valentine's.

* * *

Chuck twitched nervously as the red-haired girl in front of him gave him a judgemental look. "What has Dr. Dawson's schedule on Valentine's Day got to do with you?"

"Will you please just check it for me? It's no trouble at all!" begged Chuck.

Didi glanced down at the schedule book before smiling at him. "Congratulations! If you're thinking of treating Dr. Dawson to a Valentine's Day dinner, you can save the money," she said in a sarcastic manner.

Chuck's spreading grin dropped to a frown as the girl smirked at him.

"It's not my fault that she has a delivery in the evening."

"What? Are you sure? Check carefully!"

"Do. You. Not. Un. Der. Stand. Eng. Lish?" Didi enunciated each syllable slowly as if speaking to a small child.

"You!" Chuck folded his arms. "You horrible woman!"

Didi gaped at him, offended by his comment. "How so?" she inquired.

"How could you schedule an operation for Dr. Dawson on Valentine's Day?"

"The mother wants her baby to be born on Valentine's Day, okay? I had nothing to do with it."

Chuck scowled and muttered something about natural births and lack of maternal love. Didi gave him a sad look and he looked back at her questioningly. "What's the matter with you?"

"I'm finished…" she said as she wandered over to a corkboard of photographs. "In my job, I only come into contact with married men and babies. It's hard for me to get married."

Chuck, forgetting his anger and feeling sympathetic, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Relax. You won't be left on the shelf. You're still young and cute. I'm sure you'll be able to get married!"

Didi turned around happily to face him. "Really? You think I'm cute?"

"Er, yes… I think you're nice?"

"Let's go on a Valentine's date then!"

"Huh?"

"I want to date you- I mean, you date me! Let's catch a movie together! "

"B-but. No. Wait! Have you forgotten that you need to work?" Chuck hurriedly tried to get out of the predicament he got himself in.

"Right…thanks for reminding me. Let me check again!" as she rifled through the large book.

"Oh look! Dr. Dawson and I need not work on February 14th!" she pointed at the blank space in the schedule book. Chuck raised an incredulous brow at her. "I made a mistake!" she added quickly. "But you've already promised to catch a movie with me!"

"I-I…"

"It's a deal! You can't say no!" Didi declared, and she walked off with Chuck gawking after her.

"Young people nowadays are so not reserved at all," he muttered to himself.

* * *

Tilly gave another groan as she slouched on the couch.

"I merely arranged a blind date for you to eat with him, not to sleep with him. Stop moaning," said Trish, coming downstairs. She rolled her eyes at Tilly's behavior.

"I don't like to make friends like this," the girl on the couch complained.

"So? You would rather go online and make virtual friends?"

Tilly was quick to defend herself. "They're my chat mates!" she argued.

Trish scoffed, "Don't be silly. When will your chat mates ever come out to mate, I mean, meet?"

Tilly just forced a smile in return.

"Have you thought of introducing them to become members of Love Concierge by the way? I guarantee that they'll be able to find the rainbow in their life."

Tilly firmly shook her head as Trish smiled back in amusement.

Just then Trish noticed Ally at the dining table texting away.

"Cancelling a date again?"

Ally looked guiltily at her.

"Is it that difficult to have a meal with your boyfriend? Don't forget that you've invested _ten_ years of your youth into this relationship! Don't lose it."

"It's her occupational hazard," Tilly added. "And quit asking people to go on dates. What about yourself?"

"I do go out on dates…" Trish thought a little to herself before realising something. "That's right! It's Valentine's Day next week! How come all's so quiet?"

Trish looked at her phone again. "Last year I had many invitations... I mean, c'mon look at me!"

Ally and Tilly both turned to look at Trish, who was striking a pose in the mirror.

"The signs of ageing are not wrinkles or white hair," began Tilly, wagging her finger patronisingly.

"It's when one starts to nag and become a busybody!" Ally continued, laughing as she tackled Trish to the couch.

"Shhh," Trish placed a finger on Ally's lips and started tapping her phone furiously.

Ally looked over at Tilly and whispered, "Time for her to strike."

_Trish: The beautiful and romantic Valentine's Day is coming soon. Any nice restaurants to recommend for a meal? What a headache._

Trish smirked as she pressed 'Send' before tossing her phone onto the coffee table, waiting patiently.

"A mass message? You'd rather kill the wrong person than let him off? If I were that chicken rib, I would be very sad," observed Tilly.

"Well, a chicken rib has little meat. Hardly worth eating, but not bad enough to throw away. At this time, it can only be a guest performer," Trish smiled.

Ally and Tilly deadpanned at her.

*beep*

Trish's smile widened. "Number One has replied."

*beep*

"Number Two."

*beep* *beep*

"Number Three and Four."

Trish looked down at her phone as the beeping stopped.

"Number Five..."

"So even a chicken rib has integrity too!" commented Tilly amusedly.

"Number Five chicken rib has been promoted to chicken drumstick," announced Trish.

Ally smacked her friend on the shoulder with a cushion, "What on earth do you want? Chicken drumstick, breast or wing?"

"I want an eagle," Trish replied immediately without thought.

"The hen is usually devoured by an eagle," said Tilly. She illustrated by made a clawing action.

"I'm an eagle. An eagle must be paired with another eagle."

"Okay, Eagle," laughed Tilly. "Your chicken drumstick hasn't replied to you. Could it have run away?"

Trish grinned, "Have you ever seen a drumstick run on its own? When a man doesn't take the initiative, a woman must fake the initiative."

Ally and Tilly looked at each other again, this time in confusion.

* * *

Sunhee nervously clasped her hands together. "Tomorrow is my first date with Marcus. How should I deal with it? I don't want my nervousness to ruin the date."

Trish stood up from behind her desk, walked over to the girl and sat down placing a comforting hand on her knee.

"Three pointers contribute to a successful date."

"Three pointers?"

"That's right. Key point, location and highlight," smiled Trish.

* * *

_Location_

_"Make sure you choose the right location. If it's too noisy, the ambience will be ruined. If it's too quiet, there will be awkward silence. Most men are visual animals. A romantic and elegant location will add to a woman's charm. At this point, the men can't help but play the gentleman."_

Sunhee and Marcus walked into a restaurant at the same time as Trish and her own date walked into another restaurant. They were simple, fine dining restaurants with occupied tables dotting the place creating a soft murmuring of conversations while jazz played.

Both Sunhee and Trish's dates pulled out seats for them and then they arranged with the waiters on napkins and menu choices.

_Key point. Of a conversation._

_"Don't worry if you're not learned enough. Women may prefer eloquent men, but men may not fancy chatty women. If a man depends on his mouth to humour a woman, then a woman depends on her ears to humour a man. A woman must learn how to satisfy a man's opinionated chauvinism. A man needs a pair of gentle and thoughtful ears. A woman who knows how to smile and listen to a man will win his heart."_

Trish and Sunhee both smiled and listened politely as their dates talked about anything and everything, while interjecting laughter at the appropriate timing.

_Highlight_

_"When a man is feeling most pleased with himself, it's time to inject the highlight. Make eye contact. Then make physical contact seem unintentional. If mutual feelings exist, do inject more highlights. Display yourself by showing off your sexiness appropriately, but don't let him think that you're a wanton woman. If your highlights dazzle successfully, do step on it. Otherwise…"_

Trish set down her wine glass and glanced briefly into her date's eyes making him grin shyly.

Sunhee peered shyly into Marcus's eyes. As that occurred, he himself was stuck in a daze just by gazing at the Korean girl in front of him. He forgot that he was eating until his forkful of food missed his mouth and hit his chin instead.

Reaching for a glass of water, Trish's hand lightly bumped into the hand belonging to her date. She removed it quickly, pretending that she had brushed against it by accident, causing the guy to smirk at her shyness.

Meanwhile, Marcus quickly took a gulp of his wine after Sunhee had accidentally reached for the same glass as him.

Softly brushing her hair aside, Trish exposed her neck momentarily, causing her date to almost spill his drink.

Marcus was staring openly at Sunhee with a leer on his face. "Let's meet again on Valentine's Day?" Sunhee nodded shyly, her lips curving into a tentative smile.

"Shall we meet for a meal on February 14th?" asked Trish's date,

"Sure," Trish replied with a grin. "Wait, hang on." Trish picked up her phone and quickly checked it as her date's expression fell.

"Mmm…" Trish made an apologetic face. "I might need to go overseas. Let me see what I can do before I let you know again."

_"It's important to go on stage beautifully, but it's more essential to leave in style. Don't end it with a full stop. Always leave behind a comma. When you've no company in future, at least you've a reserve to play with."_

* * *

Tilly was sitting at the table, picking at her plate of broccoli with a fork, when the door opened and Ally entered the room. "Hey Ally," she greeted.

Ally glanced at Tilly's meal and frowned. "How can this possibly fill your stomach?"

"Look!" Tilly stood up and spun in a circle. "I haven't lost any weight despite working so hard on my diet."

"You look fine. And besides, fats don't disappear overnight."

"What should I do? My blind date is tomorrow. Why does Trish like to do this? Is she that worried about me?"

Ally shrugged and said, "If you don't want to go, then tell her."

Tilly groaned and she stabbed a piece of broccoli.

"Afraid that she'll be unhappy?" Tilly nodded with a pout.

Just then, the door opened and Trish barged inside. "Boring!" she sung.

"Didn't you meet up with your chicken drumstick?" asked Ally.

"Don't bring it up. It's back to square one. A chicken rib can never be a drumstick."

Trish looked down at Tilly. "Oh right! I almost forgot. You've a date tomorrow. I bought you a dress! It suits you to a T!"

Tilly took the bag from Trish and peeked in to find a beautiful baby doll dress, a quick glance at the price tag incited a gasp from her. "So expensive?!"

"Just take it as an advance birthday present," waved Trish nonchalantly.

"Actually," began Ally.

"Ally!" Tilly interrupted. She turned to smile at Trish, "I'll be punctual tomorrow."

Trish smiled in return, "Very good, just remember the three pointers!"

"If your words ring true, why did you return so frustrated after your date?" questioned Ally smacking Trish on the arm.

"Ally Dawson. Can you try to mince your words and not be so direct? If I were a man, you would be the death of me. So not gentle at all."

"Beats treating men as chicken ribs," retorted Ally. "Take care not to become someone else's chicken rib in future." Ally tapped Trish's temple teasingly.

Trish pouted at her. "Don't worry. I have 'Anytime'. If I'm left on the shelf, I can marry 'Anytime'. I'm going to call him now and ask him to spend Valentine's Day with me." With that, Trish flounced upstairs.

Ally looked at Tilly. "Why did you stop me just now?"

Tilly gave a small smile, "Having a meal shouldn't be a problem."

Ally smiled and patted her head, "Precisely. What problems could there be?"

Tilly nodded, "That's right. What am I so nervous for? There's nothing to be nervous about!"

* * *

Tilly peeked into the café, almost immediately making eye contact with her supposed blind date. He was sitting in the far left corner of the room.

When he spotted her by the door, he waved at her. She timidly walked into the café and walked up to him.

"You must be Ethan," she greeted.

"Yes, take a seat," he smiled as she sat opposite of him.

Tilly almost moaned at the sight of the piece of cream cake sitting in front of the guy. She looked up to see the guy watching her intensely.

"Is there something on my face?" She placed her hands on her cheeks.

"Could you say 'This is February 10th, 2014, welcome to _A Tangled Web_.'?"

"Huh?"

"Trish told me that you were a DJ, but I don't believe her. Say it," he commanded.

The guy looked excited as Tilly fidgeted a little. "Erm, I feel a little breathless, please excuse me."

"Is your dress too tight?"

Tilly nodded honestly.

The guy smiled at her, "It's OK. I understand. Women like to 'squeeze'. Go on!"

As Tilly got up and walked past the man, she suddenly felt faint and collapsed. Right onto him.

* * *

Trish rushed into the bright hospital room, gasping at the sight of a familiar boy in a hospital bed.

"Oh no…" the Latina cried out. She hurriedly placed the basket of fruits on the small table by the window. "Tilly, what happened?" The blonde was standing by Ethan's bed.

Ethan was currently sitting upright under the covers, awake and wearing a neck brace.

"Ethan, how did you injure yourself?" Trish asked softly.

"I—uh. I fainted from hunger and then I might've, uh, collapsed onto him," murmured Tilly.

Ethan waved a hand. "No one wanted this to happen. It was just an accident," he assured Trish.

Trish placed a grateful hand on his shoulder. "You're such an understanding man!" she said. "If it was someone else, I daren't imagine the consequences. What did the doctor say?"

"That I need to be placed under observation."

Trish nodded understandingly and returned to stand by her friend.

"But the thought of the hospital food…" he continued with a pout.

"I'll go buy some food!" Tilly offered. Have a nice chat!" She quickly ran out of the room.

"Thanks!" he shouted after her.

Trish watched as he reached for his water flask and she hurriedly offered to help him.

"Here, let me help you. Be careful, it's hot," she said as she handed him a mug.

He suddenly grabbed her hand, almost making her drop the ceramic.

"Trish, I can tell from your expression how worried you are."

Trish forced a smile, "I'm worried…" '_I'm worried that you'll lodge a complaint against Love Concierge, you idiot.'_

"I knew it. You know how I feel. I'm flattered that you're worried about me," he smiled up at her.

Trish laughed softly, "Yeah…You almost gave me a shock." She pried her hand out his to place the mug down, only to have him grab both her hands.

"Erm, if you feel that Tilly doesn't suit you, I can introduce other girls to you."

"No!" Ethan jerked up only to fall back down in pain.

"I only have feelings for you," he continued.

Trish scoffed with laughter, "I'm not your cup of tea. I've had many boyfriends…"

"It's okay. I can wait. With a smile," he smiled to prove it.

Trish stared dispassionately at him. "Let go!" she pulled her hands out of his grasp.

"One day, I'll make you want to hold my hand," his Cheshire grin grew, creeping Trish out.

Trish huffed in frustration, grabbed her purse, and left as he waved happily after her.

* * *

Ally was staring at a photograph of a young Dallas and herself as statements made by her friends and colleagues flashed through her mind.

_"How did you spend Valentine's Day last year?"_

_"When was your last meal with your boyfriend?"_

_"When was the last time your boyfriend gave you a gift?"_

_"Get married. Come on, you guys have been together for so long. Otherwise, more problems will arise in the future."_

She picked up her phone to make a call, but it rang without an answer.

Tapping a few buttons, she recorded a voice message. "Are you free on Valentine's Day? Let's have dinner together."

A few seconds later, a voice message response was received. "Sure."

* * *

_-On Valentine's Day morning-_

Sunhee admired a pair of shoes until Trish yanked it out of her hands and dragged her to another section of the department store. After comparing heel heights and the way her legs contour with such shoes, Sunhee was persuaded to purchase a pair of beige leather heels.

In the clothing section, Sunhee stood there while Trish selected outfit after outfit and shoved them all into the Korean girl's arms. Trish wasted no time in dragging Sunhee to a fitting room, where she could try on the clothes. Two hours and many rejected outfits later, they finally decided on a dress. It was made up of a silky, mint green fabric, and a black ribbon was tied around the waistline.

Once they purchased the dress, their last stop was the beauty shop where manicures, pedicures, hairstyling and make-up were done. The final product? A totally transformed, confident Sunhee with a bronze look and her raven-black hair curled and gathered into a bun at the top of her head.

Elsewhere, Ally was busy meeting her patients with consultation after consultation. After a short meeting with her fifth patient in a row, she sent an excited glance at the calendar that hung on her wall, which marked off the holiday. That was when Ally suddenly realised that she still needed to go shop for a gift.

She managed to do so during her lunch hour, heading out to a nearby men's clothing store and picking out a lovely tie after countless comparisons and questions. A heartfelt message was written in a beautiful handmade card while she admired the photograph of her and Dallas's childhood again.

Tilly, meanwhile, was admiring the photograph of Ethan on her phone. The blonde giddily chatted about him with her online friends.

When Trish returned from her morning shopping, Tilly excitedly asked her to help prepare for her upcoming date. The Latina reluctantly did as requested, not wanting to hurt her friend's feelings.

* * *

"Today is February 14th, 2014. The time now is 5.30pm. I'm DJ Ladybug, welcome to _A Tangled Web_."

"Hello, I'm Trish. It's time for our date on the air again. Today is Valentine's Day; do call in to talk about love with us!"

"Hi! Happy Valentine's Day! How should I address you?" Tilly greeted their first caller.

"I'm Cassidy."

"Cassidy? Are you that florist who called in last week about your crush on the guy who bought flowers from you regularly?" asked Trish.

"Yes."

"Have you used the three pointers we talked about last week? They can be used not only on a date, but to attract the opposite sex as well."

"I did adopt your method."

"Really? What did he do then?"

"He said he was attached."

"How rare. What a faithful guy," commented Trish, smiling slightly at the thought.

"Cassidy, since he has a girlfriend, be upset no more. I'm sure you can meet someone better," Tilly told her comfortingly.

"I feel that he's not bad. A faithful man is worth pursuing," Trish added.

Tilly stared at Trish in disbelief.

"You think it's a pity to let him go?" asked Cassidy, her voice wavering.

Tilly put a finger to her own lips, signalling Trish to stop.

"Love has no order, you should—"

"Cassidy, thanks for calling in and sharing your story with us. Let's listen to a song before we talk about love again," Tilly quickly interrupted as she switched off Trish's mic.

"I haven't said my piece, mind you," pouted Trish, annoyed at the interruption.

"That guy is attached! And you still encouraged Cassidy to seduce him!"

"Seduce? Come on, he's not married. Don't be so old-fashioned."

Tilly breathed a sigh of frustration and tried to lean over the switchboard to strangle her friend. They both giggled at her attempts.

* * *

Ally was just leaving her home when her mobile rang. After hearing what the other party said, she hurriedly agreed to rush down to the hospital.

She quickly left a voice message for her boyfriend, "Dallas, I'll be late for dinner," before rushing off.

Elsewhere, at a florist shop, Dallas was entering the store and smiled at Cassidy, the florist.

_"Girls, if you fancy someone but don't wish to take the risk by expressing your feelings, how about giving him a small Valentine's Day gift today?"_

Cassidy took out a small box of chocolates and a small card, but hid it back under the counter before Dallas could see it.

_"As for guys, if a girl gives you a present today and you like her, remember to do something."_

Dallas shot another grin at Cassidy as he picked out roses.

_"You might be shot by Cupid's arrow, marking an end to your singlehood. You need not spend Valentine's Day alone again. That's right listeners who are in love. Have you declared your love?"_

Dallas took the bouquet of flowers and left the store as Cassidy looked on sadly after him.

A few minutes later, while Cassidy was cutting flower stalks, the same bouquet of roses was presented to her, much to her surprise. She looked up to find Dallas giving her a gentle smile. She smiled back and reached under the counter to bring out the box of chocolates.

* * *

As Ally prepped for an operation, her phone suddenly beeped with an incoming message. From Dallas. Since the operating theatre was still being prepared, she took a quick listen to the voice message.

_"This is my last voicemail to you. You need not rush over tonight. Let's break up."_

_Wait…what? _Did she hear that correctly? Ally repeated the message once more in a daze.

_"This is my last voicemail to you. You need not rush over tonight. Let's break up."_

"Dr. Dawson? The operating theatre's ready for you," a nurse informed her. The voice sounded far away, yet loud enough to draw Ally away from her trance.

She swallowed thickly and put her phone away, forcing a smile on her face. "Thank you," she responded. Though a sudden, hollow feeling was surging in her chest, Ally's brain screamed at her to focus on the current task at hand, working on safely delivering the baby before her.

Many minutes later, when the newborn child cried out for the first time, Ally found her tears running down her cheeks along with the infant. In happiness or heartbreak, she did not know.

* * *

After arriving solemnly home, Ally was greeted with the sight of dozens of bouquets of flowers on her doorstep. Some looked fresh whilst some looked wilted and decayed.

There was a card left along with flowers.

_'I haven't had the chance to give you these flowers personally. They are yours to begin with so I'm giving them to you at one go. This will be the last time I'm giving you flowers'. – Dallas_

Ally felt her tears renew.

* * *

Ethan eagerly awaited for his date at the restaurant, sniffing the small bouquet of flowers he had bought and rearranging the cutlery. But turning around to see Tilly, he glanced at her in discontent. He was not expecting _her_…

She gave him a friendly wave. "Where's Trish?" he demanded to know.

"I forgot to tell you that Trish can't make it today since she has a date of her own," explained Tilly. She took the seat across from him.

"I bet you did this on purpose."

Tilly's eyes widened. "What?"

"You didn't ask Trish and pretended to forget about it," he accused. You duped me to spend Valentine's Day with you."

Tilly shook her head in confusion and denial.

"Can't you tell that the one I like is Trish?"

"I—"

"Yes? I'm just using you as a bridge to get close to Trish. Couldn't you tell at all?" he sneered at Tilly.

Tilly struggled to hold in her emotions and said with a forced smile, "We can't be lovers, but surely we can be friends?"

Ethan scoffed, "Come on, do you really think a man will waste time and money having a meal with a woman he doesn't fancy?"

"A-are we still having dinner then?" Tilly asked in an attempt to be polite.

"Dinner?!" Ethan exclaimed as the rest of the restaurant turned to look at their table. "You still want me to buy you a meal, Pork Chop?"

Tilly's cheeks reddened in humiliation at the stares that they were getting from people around the restaurant. Hot tears began to prick her eyes and she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Why is there such a disgusting duckling like you beside an elegant swan like Trish?" Ethan made disgusted noises as he portrayed a look of repulsion. "Listen. Stop pestering me," he stated sternly and glared at her. He stood up to leave, grabbing the small bouquet of flowers with him as he stalked off.

Tilly looked down miserably at the table, her small bit of confidence shattered like broken glass. She could no longer hold back her tears and let them escape. The droplets rolled down her cheeks one-by-one, wetting the tablecloth as she sobbed silently.

* * *

"Happy Valentine's Day," Trish's date handed her a large bouquet of roses over their candlelit dinner in a five-star restaurant, reserved specially.

"Thank you," she replied demurely.

Just as they were about to clink their glasses of wine together, Trish's phone rang.

"Hello? What?! OK, got it." Trish hung up the phone and gave a sheepish smile to her date.

"Sorry, I have an emergency. I can't have dinner with you," she stood up to leave.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she kissed his cheek.

* * *

Trish sighed heavily. Ally had just told her and Tilly about Dallas' voicemail. "I asked you to get married, didn't I? You've wasted the meal ticket which you've invested in for ten years."

Tilly nudged Trish reproachfully. "That's the last thing she wants to hear, Trish!" she whisper-scolded. They watched Ally down another glass of wine.

"Well, consider it a blessing in disguise. Had you gotten married, you would be a divorcee. At least you're still single." Trish grabbed Ally's hand supportively. "Rest assured you're not alone, we'll be by your side."

"That's right, Ally," said Tilly. She made her way to the Ally's other side and gave her a hug.

Ally smiled at her two best friends in gratitude. "Don't you guys have dates? Get going!" she urged them.

"I was supposed to meet 'Anytime'. But I can see him 'Anytime'. Tilly, weren't you supposed to meet Ethan? How come you went home early and found out about Ally's breakup?"

Tilly hesitated. "I…Ethan and I have broken it off," she said. _It wasn't a complete lie…_

Ally and Trish looked at each other.

"Actually we weren't even an item. I felt that we were not suitable for each other, hence why I initiated the split," Tilly continued. She bit her lip.

Trish took a drink from her glass as she contemplated the situation. "Will you be angry at me?" Tilly asked, nervously waiting for her friend's response. She really hoped Trish wouldn't be mad.

And she wasn't. "Hmm? No way. Good job! He's not worth it. End it once and for all," supported Trish.

"Before love comes knocking, girls, you must love yourselves. Get it?" Trish added encouragingly.

The three girls knocked their glasses together. "Cheers!" they said together.

Trish looked to her left; a couple was canoodling in a corner. Trish looked to her right; a couple was whispering sweet nothings into each other's ear.

Trish quickly whipped out her phone and started texting.

"What are you doing?" asked Ally.

"Calling my chicken ribs."

"Didn't you say that they were not suitable to spend Valentine's with you?" questioned Tilly.

"I'm calling them to keep the two of you company. One must not spend Valentine's Day in loneliness," smiled Trish as she stood up to go to the Ladies despite protests by the other two.

As Trish walked towards the washrooms, an emergency door suddenly slammed open, causing her to cringe in pain.

"Ow!" She rubbed her nose with her hand and came back with a dribble of blood. She gasped in shock.

* * *

-end-

A/N: Longest chapter I've ever written!

I do hope you guys are having a better time than the 3 girls in the story today! (:

Anyway, leave a review! :D


	3. Episode 2

A/N: So I heard Jace & Carrie will be sticking around the show for a while. :D Now my imaginary world and reality are clashing, what do I do? I want a Dr. Cupid too.

A thousand thanks to **WinterFairy7337** for her amazing beta skills and efforts.

I do not own Austin & Ally.

* * *

_-recap-_

_As Trish walked towards the washrooms, an emergency door suddenly slammed open, causing her to cringe in pain._

_"Ow!" her hand rubbed her nose and came back with a dribble of blood. She gasped in shock._

_-end recap-_

* * *

"Oh no, oh no, oh no. It's broken, it's broken, it's broken!" Trish muttered frantically to herself. The pain in her nose felt like fire. Just then, a pair of gloved hands pressed a tissue right on the damaged area.

"It's not broken, just cracked," said a man's voice, laced with amusement.

"Cracked?" Trish gasped. "Crap, I'm disfigured!"

"It's not that easy to get disfigured at my clinic," the same voice responded. "Now, keep holding this tissue to your nose until it stops bleeding. And apply a little pressure to your nostrils. It'll help lessen the bleeding. In the meantime, I will go get you an ice pack." Trish raised her head to get a good look at the stranger. He was noticeably taller than her, with light blond hair and fair skin, and he was wearing a doctor's coat. He gestured toward the room on the left side of the hall. "You can wait in that room."

"Alright." Still feeling frantic about her cracked nose, Trish followed the doctor into the room. Once she was seated on the bed, the doctor quickly left to retrieve an ice pack. He was gone for nearly ten minutes before returning with the object in hand. A young nurse followed him inside.

"You can try removing the tissue now," the doctor told her.

Trish slowly removed the tissue from nose, trying her best to ignore the red, bloody mess, and dumped it into the trashcan that the nurse held out for her. Her nose still hurt and it was still bleeding, though not as much as before.

The doctor handed her the ice pack. "Here," he said kindly. Trish held it to her nose. The coldness of the ice pack immediately began to chase the pain away. She sighed in quiet relief.

Then a horrible thought stabbed at her.

"Doctor, wh-what do you think will be the effect of my cracked nose?" Would she have to deal with a crooked nose now?

The nurse placed a comforting hand on Trish's shoulder and said, "If even Dr. Austin Moon can't save your nose then your nose is really finished."

Trish raised a brow. "That amazing?" The nurse nodded.

Trish shifted her gaze toward the doctor. He was currently washing his hands in the sink.

Admiring the way the water trickled off his large hands, her eyes trailed up his sleeved yet sturdy looking arms, and all the way to his blond hair. A chiselled face and a dimpled lopsided smile remained on his countenance… '_Wow, the legendary Prince Charming…' _thought Trish.

The doctor dried off his hands and turned to her, smiling as she casually pushed back her hair and returned his smile.

"I'll prescribe painkillers for you. Try to minimise physical contact with your nose, and be sure to return for your review," he instructed her.

Trish nodded dazedly. _'What a serious man. Dashing!'_

"Rest assured, there won't be a scar. All will be perfect," he grinned at her.

"Yes…perfect indeed…" Trish whispered.

* * *

"Well? Does it hurt? Will it leave a scar?" Tilly had rushed right up to Trish with Ally once she left the consultation room, bombarding their injured friend with questions.

"If there would be a scar, Dr. Dawson wouldn't have brought her friend here," Austin answered on Trish's behalf.

Ally replied with disdain clear in her tone, "If it wasn't an emergency, I wouldn't want to trouble you either, Dr Moon."

"Well, it's indeed hard to go back to sleep at this time." Austin gave her a small smirk. "Let's have tea another day. Play hard, work hard. If you have the time, come for a jab if need be. The effect is very good," he added with a wink.

"Birth, age, sickness and death are the norm. I need not waste the money."

"Isn't it good to die with a beautiful face?"

"That's called deceiving oneself and others. Let's go girls." Ally left without saying goodbye to Austin. He smiled after her.

"Good night," he bade Trish and Tilly. The two young women waved goodbye to him before rushing to catch up with Ally.

* * *

_"I got hurt!" _Trish uploaded a photo of herself and her bum nose and a pout as it almost immediately garnered 820 likes and 155 comments, all asking after her wellbeing.

_Knock, knock!_

"What're you still doing up?" Ally's stern, motherly voice floated into the bedroom. "You should be resting." Trish turned to see Ally at the open doorframe.

"I will soon," Trish replied simply.

As Ally started to return to her room, Trish suddenly recalled something and rushed up to her. "Hey Ally! Erm, do you have Dr. Moon's personal contact number?"

"No. Why do you ask? Does your nose hurt?" Ally asked in concern.

"No, no. Just…does he have a girlfriend?" Ally sighed at her friend. "Or…a boyfriend?" Trish giggled.

"Austin Moon is a well-known playboy," Ally replied. "Whoever hooks up with him will come to no good end."

"Oh? He seemed nice though," Tilly said as she approached with a bowl of apple slices in hand.

"That's a rumour," Trish argued. "Only good-looking people will be sullied. I know this very well. Every encounter is meaningful. Of course I must keep this rare eagle under observation."

Trish glanced at the apple slices that Tiily was eating. "Hello? You're still snacking at this hour? Don't be too indulgent with yourself," she warned.

Tilly grinned sheepishly, "I can't sleep on an empty stomach. At least this is healthy." Ally's yawning drowned out any remark from Trish that would normally follow this comment.

"Well guys, I'm going to bed," she said, sounding tired. Another yawn. "I'm meeting Dallas tomorrow morning."

"OH, that sounds nice—wait, _what_?" Trish regarded Ally with an incredulous look. "But…why?"

Tilly was just as baffled as Trish. "Dallas…why?" she questioned.

"Didn't the two of you just break up? Did you suffer a blow? Memory loss?"

"I just want to thrash things out with him face-to-face," Ally explained hastily. "You're right, meeting up beats leaving voicemails. We should meet up and have a talk," she declared with a brave smile. "Good night guys."

Trish sighed as she and Tilly watched Ally return to her bedroom. "Only choosing to meet up after breaking up…" _If only she had realised that beforehand_, Trish finished in her head.

"Do you think they'll get back together after the talk?" asked Tilly. "It's such a pity to lose such a long relationship."

Trish shrugged helplessly.

* * *

Dallas looked at his watch for the fourth time in a row, glancing up just in time to see Ally rush into the café and take a seat opposite him.

"Sorry! Just now—"

"Save your explanation."

Ally, cringing at his strangely harsh tone, looked down at her hands.

"There's actually nothing much to talk about," Dallas said. "It has been ten years. Everything that should be said has been said."

Ally gave him a weak smile. "Didn't we already make plans to get married next year?"

Dallas frowned. "Can you give up your job for marriage?" he tested.

Silence.

"Stop deceiving yourself," he continued. "If you could have just given up your job, we wouldn't have ended up like this. Face it, Ally, you're married to your job. You only remember the birthdays of your 'children'. What about me? Do you even remember mine?"

"Of course I—"

"Besides having a meal once in a while, we only communicated via voicemails the rest of the time," Dallas interrupted.

"So it has been bugging you. Why didn't you tell me?"

"What was the use? Would it have changed anything?"

Ally had no response for that. She chewed on her her bottom lip; that tended to happen when she felt guilty.

"We're not suitable for each other. No point in dragging the relationship."

Ally looked up at Dallas. The latter was pointedly looking elsewhere.

"I…understand. Thank you for meeting me today…"

"I've a date. I got to go." He stood up and left without another word. Sighing, Ally took a huge sip of water while struggling to hold in her emotions. It was difficult. She pretended not to notice when a figure approached the table. The figure cleared their throat, trying to get her attention. Ally ignored it.

Unknown to Ally, the figure was actually Trish. The Latina removed her sunglasses. "Ally! It's me!" she exclaimed. That got her friend's attention. The expression on Ally's face would have been more comical if not for the current situation. "Were you expecting him to turn back?" Trish continued.

"Why did you follow me out here?" Ally wanted to know.

"Well, how else would I know if the negotiation would fall through or not? If he turned physical, at least I could be your witness. Now, answer my question."

Ally didn't meet Trish's eyes, choosing to gaze down at the table instead. "Dallas is right. We're not suitable. I've neglected him."

"And it took the both of you ten years to realise that? This is too high a price to pay." Trish gave another heavy sigh. "Like I've said, one can date. But not drag it out, otherwise problems would start to arise."

She turned around to call for a waiter when, out the café window, she spotted Dallas and another woman get into a car together.

"Looks like the problem lies with him!" Trish realised with a jolt.

Ally turned her head to look as well. At this point, all she wanted was to curl up in bed and cry…

"Fancy him playing the victim when he's the one seeing another woman!" Trish whipped out her phone angrily.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a picture of them and uploading it onto the internet to shame them!"

"Forget it…this is actually better."

"Better?"

"At least…I'll feel less guilty…"

Seeing the tears brimming in Ally's normally cheerful eyes was enough to make Trish dislike Dallas even more. She had to get Ally smiling again. Fast.

"I've got an idea! Let's celebrate tonight!"

"Celebrate what?"

"A happy breakup!"

* * *

"Congratulations to my Love Concierge for getting another member!" Trish cheered. She refilled Ally's glass of white wine.

"And congratulations to that third party, for picking up that jerk," added Tilly.

"That girl looked very young," Ally mused. "When a men starts to look elsewhere, I must do some soul searching too. He's not entirely to blame."

Trish gaped at her friend. "Dr. Dawson, a woman's kindness and gentility is not for use towards the third party!"

"No woman wants to be the third party," reasoned Ally.

"Which is why they would usually scheme to get rid of the wife or girlfriend!"

Tilly nodded in agreement. "You see it all the time in drama serials!" she stated. Then, confused, she said, "But…you were the one who said love has no order?" Her query was directed at Trish.

"This is a different situation. Ally has already cultivated the tree for ten years. For that woman to just uproot it without asking her... If this was ancient times, she would have been stoned to death or thrown into a pig basket!"

Ally kept quiet as Trish and Tilly watched her with concern.

"If you feel like crying, just cry," said Trish supportively.

Ally beamed at her friends. '_Where would I be without them?'_ she wondered. "I'm okay. I'm actually not that sad."

"Really?"

"Am I too cold-blooded?" Ally asked with a small laugh.

"Perhaps your heart has died. Hence, you can't cry," suggested Tilly.

"Come on guys! Just treat it as trash. Trash is not meant to be kept, but discarded."

* * *

Ally stared at the pile of cards that she had just dumped into the bin.

Reaching in for the one right on top, she took it out and slowly opened it. The words 'Together Forever' was written in fifteen-year-old Dallas' handwriting. The pencil marks were slightly faded, but the memory was still clear. She remembered that particular day, ten years ago, when she received this card. It was the day he had first asked her to be his girlfriend.

_-flashbacks-_

_It was her third period Biology class. Ally had a seat close to the classroom door. About a quarter after nine, she was the first person to spot Dallas right outside the door. A few other students noticed him too, but the rest were engrossed in the teacher's lesson on carbohydrates. _

_"Look under your desk!" Dallas mouthed to Ally._

_Baffled, she put her pencil down and bent her head low enough to peek under her desk. Much to her astonishment, there was one hand drawn card taped to the underside of the desk! 'Please open me' it stated._

_And in the card, she found a photograph of her and Dallas inside with the words 'Together Forever' written beneath it. A small grin lit up her face._

* * *

_The couple secretly held hands under the table as they avoided being caught by the librarian._

* * *

_Dallas watched Ally as his girlfriend stared intensely at her book, taking small bites out of a piece of bread at the same time. He smiled to himself, thinking about her cute, nerdy ways. Taking a quick glance around, he raised his own large geography book and shielded themselves from onlookers as he quickly pecked her on the cheek. She blushed a light shade of pink and took a moment to smile up at him._

* * *

_Ally was stressing out over the upcoming end-of-school-year exams. Dallas excitedly folded a paper instrument and blew Ally a song in order to calm her down._

_-end flashbacks-_

Ally blew into the same paper instrument as the tears finally started coming. Droplets wet the pile of photographs and letters signed off with Dallas' love, dating from when they started dating when they were fifteen till now…

* * *

Sunhee walked up to Trish, whom she had found lounging in a chair at Shredder's Beach Club. The Latina was rubbing suntan lotion over her left arm.

"Hey Trish!" Sunhee greeted brightly. She handed Trish a small parcel. "This is for you."

"Why?" she asked, surprised.

"To say thank you. For giving me a chance to spend Valentine's Day with someone instead of spending it alone, as usual," Sunhee grinned at her happily. "Marcus and I really enjoyed ourselves that night."

"Well, that's good. I'm happy for you, too." Trish extended a hug to Sunhee.

* * *

"What? You want to meet a few more girls?" Trish asked incredulously.

Marcus nodded in affirmation.

"Aren't things going well between you and Sunhee?"

"Yes…But without comparison, how will I know she's the best?"

Trish just stared at him. How was she supposed to respond to this?

"Besides, my package entitles me to three dates. And I've only met Sunhee."

Trish forced a smile. "That's because you and Sunhee are the most compatible!"

Marcus shrugged. "The next one might be more suitable for me. You agreed to everything when I signed the package. Are you going back on your word now?"

"Of course not…" Trish bit down on her harsh retorts as she turned the screen of the computer towards him. "Alright. Here are more girls for your selection…"

* * *

"I've never come across such a disgusting guy!" exclaimed Trish to her friends. "Sunhee is such a nice and kind girl, and she looks great after 'packaging'. That guy actually asked for more choices. He's too much!"

She waited for a response, but when she didn't get any, Trish quickly discovered that Ally and Tilly were apparently too busy reading a magazine and eating cupcakes to listen to her rant.

"Um, hello?" Trish called. "Have either of heard a word I've said?"

Both girls looked up guiltily. Tilly had a smudge of vanilla frosting on her cheek. "Yes…" they replied unconvincingly.

"You're not any much different from him, you know," Ally told Trish.

"Me?"

"Yeah…chicken ribs, drumsticks and 'Anytime'?"

"And Eagle too!" added Tilly.

"That's different!"

_*There's no way I could make it without you*_

"Your number 5 chicken rib is calling you again…It's the fifth time in a hour!" observed Tilly.

"Are you going to answer it or not?" asked Ally, she flipping to the next page of her magazine.

"What persistence. He has my admiration," commented Tilly.

"Annoying!" said Trish.

*beep*

Trish tapped '_Play' _on the voice message she just received.

_"Trish? I heard that you got injured. Are you OK? Are you free tomorrow? Shall we have dinner together?"_

"No freaking way. Not even next year!" Trish scowled.

_"Hi~ Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Sorry, I can't make it for dinner tomorrow. I have an appointment. What a pity…I quite miss the food at the French restaurant we went to last time. But I'm extremely busy this week. How about next week instead?"_

Trish sent her voice message reply and looked up to see her best friends staring at her with apathetic expressions.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

The two continued staring.

"I was rejecting him politely. Being rejected is bad enough. I want them to be rejected happily!"

Ally and Tilly looked at each other in disbelief.

"You should be an actress, you'd get a lot of nominations," Ally said.

"Aw come on, I really do have an appointment tomorrow. With Eagle!" Trish told them.

* * *

"Trish!"

Trish cussed to herself and scowled at the man who was blocking her way. It was just her luck to have to bump into Ethan on her way for her follow-up review with Dr. Moon.

"Hey sweetie, why didn't you answer my calls?"

"My phone is under repair." With that said, Trish moved to walk around him.

"Let's have lunch together!" He went in front of her again.

"It's still early." she argued, and turned around to go another way.

"Tea then!"

"Give it up!" Trish said exasperatedly at Ethan. He was still leering at her.

"What do you dislike about me?"

"Nothing. You just simply do not meet my requirements," she said shortly and attempted to leave again.

"Ahh…I know! You just want to let Tilly have me."

Trish scoffed, "Even so, she wouldn't want you."

"Well, rest assured. I've already dumped her!" he said smugly.

Trish shot him a questioning look. "What? You dumped her? Didn't she initiate the split?"

"_She_ initiated the breakup?" He gave a laugh of derision. "How is that possible? If I accepted her, she would throw herself at me."

Trish glared at him.

"An annoying woman like her will only get in our way," he said, nudging her suggestively. "That pork chop should take a look at herself in the mirror. Hah!"

The words _pork chop_ echoed loudly in Trish's ears. _He did __**not**__ just say that_, she thought furiously. Her anger levels rising, Trish did the first thing that came across her mind. She slapped him. Hard.

"Ow!" Ethan held his palm to his check. "Why did you slap me?"

_Because __**no one**__ insults my friend and gets away with it._ "That slap was for Tilly."

"That pork chop?" Trish slapped him on the other cheek.

"And that was from me! How dare you insult my friend? How dare you!" Trish started to hit him repeatedly with her purse. "Go to hell!" she cursed at him. He gave shouts of pain while trying to run away from her.

"That's enough!" He grabbed the purse and tossed it aside.

Trish then grabbed his hair, making him cry out.

"You crazy woman!" He roughly shoved her aside, nearly sending her falling on the sidewalk. Wrong move.

Trish ripped off one of her heels and angrily threw it at him.

"How dare you push me? I'll call the cops and have you up for assault!" she shouted after him as he ran away after narrowly avoiding the sharp heel. Trish reached for her other shoe when she noticed passers-by giving her alarmed looks.

Trish grinned sheepishly at them. One woman asked her if she was all right, to which she replied, "Yes, I'm fine. Really, I am." As the crowd dispersed, Trish slowly got up on one shoed foot and looking for the other when suddenly it was handed over to her.

She looked up to see the one and only Austin Moon smiling at her in amusement. He then bent down to help her put on her shoe. '_Thank goodness I did a pedicure yesterday!' _thought Trish.

* * *

"It's recovering well," said Austin as he examined on her nose. "Luckily you didn't hurt yourself in the scuffle earlier."

"Well, he deserved it for slighting my friend."

"Next time, you shouldn't bother with such jerks."

Trish pouted slightly under his lecture. "Here." A card was placed in her hand.

"If you have any problems with your nose, give me a call. Or when you run into troubles such as just now, call me too. Those kinds of people aren't worth your time." Trish smiled brightly at the name card. _His personal contact number! _Trish let out a silent cheer.

* * *

Trish was happily humming to herself as she left Austin's clinic when…

"Ma'am! Watch out!" _Huh?_ Trish turned around only to trip over a garbage bin. Then, as a result, she fell backwards and landed flat on her derriere.

She groaned in pain and tried to push herself up. Seeing the male nurse that had called out to her rush over, she reached out her hand for him to help her up. Unfortunately, her signal went unnoticed as he ran past her in his haste to pick up the rolling bin.

Staring at him in disbelief, she watched him hurry back to her side, but only to pick up all the pieces of garbage that were scattered around her.

Finally, after setting the bin back in its place, Chuck realised that the lady that had fallen was picking herself off the ground with an anguished huff.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" he quickly asked after her.

Trish shot him a glare, which caused him to cower back.

"Who were you calling 'ma'am'?"

He stammered, "Uh…sorry…miss?"

"Why the heck did you shout at me? You caused me to fall!"

"I shouted for you because I was afraid you were going to hit the bin, ma'am!" protested Chuck. He bit his lip and winced when he realised what he had just called her again.

Trish took a deep breath and tossed her hair back. "The problem is. Do I look like a 'ma'am' to you?"

Chuck grinned sheepishly. "I was mistaken as I only saw your back. And in my haste to call out for you…"

Trish shoved him hard with one finger, "Had you not shouted, then I wouldn't have turned around." She shoved him again. "And if I hadn't turned around, then I wouldn't have bumped into the garbage bin!" She kept poking at him hard with her finger until his back hit the wall.

Chuck whimpered slightly at the fierce lady.

"Apologise!"

"Huh?"

"I said, I want you to apologise to me!"

"W-why should I? I didn't do anything wrong. Be reasonable," he said, grimacing as he rubbed the spot where Trish had jabbed him.

"Ohhhh, I'm unreasonable? Fine! Then I shall be unreasonable. What's your name? I want to lodge a complaint."

Chuck covered his name tag immediately as Trish searched for his name.

"I-I'm not at fault!" he insisted.

Trish frowned at him. "Forget it. I shan't stoop to your level." She bent to pick up her purse from the ground when an idea came to her.

Turning back to the nurse with a smile, she offered her hand. "Truce?"

Chuck looked at her hand before looking up at her, and then looked back down at her hand again. He reluctantly shook her hand with an awkward smile.

Grabbing onto his hand, Trish announced, "Chuck McCoy, Intern Nurse? I'll remember that."

Chuck gasped in indignation and covered his name tag. "You tricked me!" he called out after her as she walked off.

* * *

"Darling!"

Ally was on her way into her consultation room when Trish's voice caught her attention.

"Trish?"

"Allyyy, look at my bruises," she moaned, frowning down at the darkening spots on her elbows.

"What happened?"

"Just blame it on my bad luck. C'mon, let's go and we'll talk over lunch!"

Ally laughed. She removed her arm out of Trish's grasp as the girl started to drag her out. "I've got one last patient."

"Hey, Dr. Dawson."

"Chuck?"

Trish glared at the nurse who had just entered the clinic. "The nerve of you to follow me. Not afraid that I'll lodge a complaint?"

"Do you guys know each other?" Ally asked in surprise.

Chuck glanced between the two girls. "Oh! So, you're Dr. Dawson's friend? I hope you didn't get too hurt just now. I really thought that you were a middle aged lady…"

Ally hid a laugh as Trish's glare intensified.

"Ma'am has always been a polite form of greeting in my town…but if you prefer, I can call you something else that's to your liking. Please don't lodge a complaint?" Chuck continued with an apologetic smile.

"Don't worry," Ally interrupted, her amusement clear in her voice and face. "She won't do that. And I won't let her lodge a complaint either."

Chuck thanked Ally profusely as Trish nudged her friend for helping an "outsider".

"Alright, I've a patient waiting for me. Trish, you wait right here, I'll be out soon. Try not to create any trouble?" Ally left them and went into her office.

"When was I ever a troublemaker?" muttered Trish to herself, watching Chuck trying to peer into Ally's office.

She stepped in front of him, blocking his view. "Apologise," she said.

Chuck gave her a sullen pout before putting out his hand in truce. Trish decided to shake on it.

"Sorry, ma'am." Chuck gasped in realisation and quickly ran away as Trish made a grab at him.

"You'd better not let me see you again!" she yelled after him.

"I'll try!" was his shout of reply.

* * *

"Dr. Dawson, how's Mindy's condition? Is it malignant?" The man looked nervously at Ally's serious expression. "It's the last stage?" he asked sadly.

"I'll arrange for her to undergo treatment at Oncology right away," Ally reassured him, her brows furrowed slightly in worry.

He could only stare at her for a few moments in silence.

"Elliot? Are you OK?"

As if he had an epiphany, Elliot suddenly stood up and sprinted out of her office, nearly running Trish over. Ally hurriedly ran out after him and Trish, watching the two rushing past her, followed as well.

Elliot kept running until he reached a wooden door. Catching his breath and calming himself down, he entered the room.

A pale Mindy sat up in her hospital bed as he walked in. She watched him kneel down and take out a small box from his pockets. "Marry me."

Mindy gave a single soft laugh in disbelief and asked with a small smile, "I'm dying, right?"

Elliot remained wordless.

* * *

"Is a marriage certificate that important?" Trish asked a despondent Elliot. The two of them, and Ally, were sitting on a bench outside the hospital.

"Yes, because it signifies a union. An oath to prove my determination to stay by Mindy's side forever. I want her to become my wife. I want to stay by her side till the very last moment."

Elliot gave a loud sigh of frustration. "But she wouldn't even give me the chance to do so!"

He stood up and looked up at the sky as he became subdued again. "What exactly have I done wrong? I just want to marry the woman I love."

"You didn't do anything wrong, but your method is wrong," Trish spoke up.

Confused, Elliot turned back to face Trish.

"It isn't that she doesn't want to, it's just that she doesn't dare to accept you," she explained. "By proposing to her like that, she'll only feel that you're taking pity on her; that you've only made a rash decision because she's sick. Love has no place for pity."

"You two love each other yet cannot be together. Trish, can you think of anything?" Ally's emotional voice piped up.

Trish looked contemplatively at Elliot. "You really want to marry Mindy?"

Elliot responded in a heartbeat. "Yes," he answered firmly. There was not a trace of hesitation in his voice. Only determination.

Trish grinned, "Good. Leave it all to me."

* * *

Trish stared through her balcony window, observing Tilly. The blonde was out on the terrace, gazing blankly into space while munching on a cupcake.

Trish went out onto the terrace as well and grabbed a cupcake from the box on the table next to Tilly's chair. "Hey!" cried Tilly. "You sure you want to eat that? There're _calories_ in that you know," she added teasingly.

Trish rolled her eyes and took a bite out of the baked goodie. "Mmm, yummy!" Tilly grinned at her friend and wiped off the bit of cream that Trish had smeared all over her chin.

Waving her hand away, Trish said, "I don't want you to bottle up everything in future."

Tilly didn't reply; she knew that Trish would find out about Ethan sooner or later.

"Why didn't you just tell me the truth?"

This time, Tilly only shrugged in response. She looked up to meet Trish's eyes, but then she spotted the bruise on her friend's elbow.

"What happened to your arm?" she questioned.

It was Trish's turn to shrug. "It's nothing. What matters is that I've taught Ethan a lesson," she smirked deviously.

"You beat him up?" Tilly asked in disbelief.

"Hey, he bullied my friend. He should count himself lucky that I only got a few hits at him."

"What if things had gotten out of hand and he turned violent?" reprimanded Tilly in concern.

Trish regarded her friend quietly. "Sorry."

Tilly looked at her in surprise. "I'm glad that you're fine. What're you apologising for?"

Trish placed a hand on her friend's apologetically. "If I had stopped you from seeing Ethan, then you wouldn't have felt aggrieved. I'm sorry."

Tilly forced a smile, "I don't feel aggrieved. He's right to say that I'm fat and unwanted."

Trish looked at friend in annoyance. "You look fine. I'm no supermodel either. You just got to have confidence! A little dressing up never hurt anyone either," she looked pointedly at Tilly's scratchy crocheted wool sweater.

"Besides, you were a total babe before you threw yourself into self-despair and food. If you hadn't given up then-"

"The key word is 'if'," Tilly smiled sadly.

Trish bit her lip as she pondered her response. "Don't worry," she declared. "Rest assured that I'll choose a good guy for you next time!"

"What? Next time? Please have mercy on me," whined Tilly. Trish laughed.

"Nobody will like me anyway. As long as I can continue to be DJ Ladybug and give my listeners the space to imagine, I'll be contented," continued Tilly as she leaned against the railing and looked at the setting sun.

Trish hugged her friend comfortingly from behind, leaning her chin on the blonde's shoulder. "Silly girl," she whispered.

* * *

"It's _A Tangled Web_ with Trish de la Rosa again. Let's hear from our next caller."

"Hi, I'm Megan!" the caller introduced herself merrily. "I love you, DJ Ladybug!"

"Thank you! So Megan, do you have anything to share about today's topic of romantic marriage proposals?"

"What do people know about romantic marriage proposals? We have to worry about getting a house, having kids, paying for their education and even the stress from schools on them."

Tilly laughed, "Megan, we're talking about marriage proposals. You're thinking too far."

"Of course we must think ahead! We have to have family planning!"

"And that's why people should get married rashly," said Trish with amusement clear in her voice. "Analyse too much and people would back out."

"But what if I come to my senses and regret after tying the knot rashly?"

"Without impetuosity, no actions will be taken. And it'll be zilch forever."

Tilly finished up for Trish, "Whether after analysis or a moment of spontaneity, marriage needs to be managed by two people. Thank you Megan, for calling in today. Let's hear from our next caller."

* * *

_*There's no way I could make it without you*_

Both Ally and Tilly groaned as Trish's phone rang for the fifth time in the hour.

"Your number 5 chicken rib is calling again," commented Tilly.

"Ugh. So annoying. Isn't my rejection obvious enough?"

"You never rejected him. You merely said that you were busy," replied Ally.

"And he believed me?" Trish snorted derisively. "Come on, it's not like he's a kid."

_*There's no way I could make it without you*_

"When will you thrash things out with your chicken rib?" asked Ally, frustrated.

"The rule of ambiguity is to be unclear," was Trish's response.

Ally shot her best friend a look of exasperation.

_*beep*_

"Don't hold onto a chicken rib that you don't want," lectured Ally.

"He's the one who's refusing to let go."

Ally rolled her eyes.

_*beep*_

Trish sighed and picked up her phone. "Oh. It's 'Anytime' who's asking me out for a meal. Friday night? Perhaps I should say yes since I'm in a good mood."

_*There's no way I could make it without you*_

Trish gasped, "Eagle?"

Her two friends watched her amusedly as she flounced upstairs, speaking demurely into the phone.

* * *

"Tomorrow, 11 a.m.? Sure thing! Your appointment has been confirmed! Thank you for calling Love Concierge!" Brooke hung up the phone just as Trish stepped in.

"Trish! Mr. Marcus is waiting for you in your office."

"Marcus?" Trish's shoulders slumped as she made a pained expression. "Why hasn't he given up? Just what kind of woman does he want? And why did you let him in?"

Brooke shrugged apologetically. "So what do we do now?"

"You go and tell him that I've taken a sick day."

"But I already told him that you were in the parking lot five minutes ago."

Trish frowned at her assistant as she smiled sheepishly back at her.

"And, uh, boss?"

"What?"

Brooke pointed behind Trish and the latter turned around.

"Why didn't you answer my calls?"

'_Chicken Rib number 5?'_ Trish cracked a smile at Billl. He raised a brow at her questioningly.

"Are you avoiding me?" he asked.

Trish licked her lips to wet them before replying. "Don't be silly. I've just been busy. You heard my assistant. There's already a client waiting in my office early in the morning."

"Hmm…" Billl seemed to believe her. "Well, I listened to your programme yesterday. And you're right. Getting married needs to be done rashly."

Trish furrowed her brows.

"So what am I waiting for?" he took a step closer to her as she took one back.

_'Surely he's not going to propose?'_

"I've decided to get married," he continued, taking another step towards her. She stumbled backwards.

"I've decided to—" He paused to quickly dig inside his bag. "—marry my girlfriend." He handed a wedding invitation to Trish.

_'Huh?' _Trish stared at the envelope incredulously. "You were looking for me to pass me your wedding invitation?"

Billl nodded cheerfully. "Yep, I wanted to give it you personally."

"Oh…" Trish glanced to her right to see that Marcus was still waiting in her office. Just then, an idea came to her as she looked back at Billl.

* * *

"Good morning! Sorry to keep you waiting, Marcus. You're here early."

"Why are you taking so long to introduce other girls to me?" Marcus wanted to know. "Are you patronising me?" The man narrowed his eyes at Trish.

"Why would I do that?" said Trish with a laugh. "I've gotten the list of girls ready for your selection." She passed him a file. "Take your time to look through it. I've got another client waiting. I'll be right back."

Trish had almost left the room when she suddenly turned back. "Marcus, do you know if Sunhee likes spicy food?" She looked down at her phone and pouted. "I forgot to ask her earlier. Billl likes spicy food, I'm afraid Sunhee won't be used to it."

"Billl? Who's this Billl?"

Trish beamed as she pointed outside the window at Bill who was waiting patiently for her in the waiting room.

"Billl's a pretty good catch huh? He owns his own surfing supplies business. Sunhee should like him very much."

"Why are you introducing other guys to her?" Marcus asked her indignantly.

Trish looked at him innocently. "If you can have other choices, so can Sunhee. After all, comparisons will allow you to know who the best is."

She noted the conflicted look that passed over Marcus's face.

"Well, go on and continue looking through the list. I'll have a chat with Billl." Trish started walking out of the office.

"Wait!" Trish hid a smirk as Marcus rushed up to her. "Don't bother introducing other guys to Sunhee. I'm done choosing as well. More choices will just create more problems anyway."

Trish turned back to Marcus, a grin forming on her lips.

* * *

Ally was on her way to her room when she heard weeping coming from Trish's bedroom. Entering, she found the young woman sobbing.

"Trish? What happened?!"

Trish pointed at her tablet, a tragic romance film playing on its screen.

Ally thinned her lips at her friend. "Oh. Why are you watching movies at this time?"

"I'm just trying to find inspiration," she sniffled.

"Inspiration? For Elliot?"

Trish nodded. "By the way, if the marriage proposal fails, don't be too upset. I can't guarantee that Mindy's going to accept him for sure."

Ally smiled. "Well, whether it succeeds or not, I'll thank you on behalf of Elliot. Just let me know if you need any help!"

"You just need to be a good audience that day."

"Alright then. Continue your plagiarising of people's ideas! I'm going to bed."

"Hey! It's called consulting, not plagiarising!" Trish shouted after her friend.

* * *

A nurse was wheeling Mindy back to her hospital room after a routine blood check when Mindy received a rose from a passing individual.

"Thank you?"

As her journey back to the room continued, nurse after nurse, patient after patient and random visitor after visitor passed her roses. Their kindness put a smile on her pale face.

Finally reaching her room, her smile faltered when she was greeted with the sight of dozens of heart balloons and Elliot wearing a suit and tie. Trish and the others waiting for her as well.

Elliot approached her and knelt down in front of her wheelchair. She looked away from him.

He handed her a bouquet of flowers and took out a small object from his right pocket. The ring. "Mindy, will you marry me?"

Mindy looked down at the ring and hesitated. Elliot's hopeful face also slowly lost hope as her silence got prolonged.

"Stop wasting your time," she said, her voice breaking. "Your parents will never accept me either. Moreover, my days are numbered. There's no point to all of this."

The look of heartbreak was too painful for Mindy as she once again avoided his gaze.

"Marry him, Mindy," a different voice persisted.

"Dad?" Elliot looked up in shock at the door. "Mom?"

His parents walked into the room, smiling kindly at Mindy. His mother spoke across the room to Trish.

"Miss De la Rosa, you're right. We should give them our blessings," she said confidently.

Everyone else in the room looked at Trish, confused.

_-flashback-_

_"Enough said! We will never agree to their relationship!" Elliot's mother frowned at Trish._

_Trish nodded as she took out her tablet. "I'll leave once you've watched this clip." She played a video for Elliot's parents. The video was made up for hundreds of photographs of Elliot and Mindy since they had met in middle school._

_"Mindy is sick and her days are numbered. Can you imagine how it feels to lose a loved one? Elliot loves her completely. He knows that it's not going to last, but he insists on giving Mindy a commitment. "_

_"Like we've said, they can do anything for all we care. Do you actually expect us to attend their wedding?" replied Elliot's father sternly._

_Trish gave them a sad smile. "Rest assured that that will never happen. Ever."_

_The couple looked at Trish in question._

_"Because for your sake, Mindy will never accept Elliot."_

_Elliot's parents exchanged a glance._

_"You used to adore Mindy too. What happened? Because she got sick and is unable to give you grandchildren, so she's expendable? Because she's not family so you can stop caring?" The two looked down guiltily._

_"Mindy's an orphan. She knows how it feels to lose one's parents. So she'll never wish that upon Elliot. Hence, she'll never accept him. You guys may have forgotten her. But she has never forgotten you."_

_Trish stood up to leave. "I'll be helping Elliot to propose to Mindy again tomorrow. Though I know that Elliot's heart will be broken once again, it can't be helped. Mindy loves and cares about all of you too much."_

_As she left, she spoke up once more, "A marriage that isn't blessed won't be happy."_

_-end flashback-_

Elliot's mother walked towards Mindy. "You've lost weight," she spoke in genuine concern.

Mindy cried.

* * *

Trish grinned to herself in her office. Mindy had finally agreed to Elliot's proposal and the happy couple had extended an invitation to both her and Ally.

_Knock, knock!_

"Come in!"

The door to Trish's door opened, and a cheerful-looking Sunhee strolled in.

"Hey Sunhee, what brings you here?" Trish smiled at the quiet girl.

Sunhee handed her a decorated envelope. "I've come to give you this. It's a wedding invitation."

"So soon?!" asked Trish, stunned.

"You were the one who said that getting married must be done impulsively."

"B-but you've only known Marcus for less than 3 months. Surely you guys can—"

"I'm not marrying Marcus," Sunhee revealed.

"Huh?" Trish opened up the wedding invitation. Indeed, next to Sunhee's name was not Marcus's, but the name of a man that she was unfamiliar with.

"That day, after we had spoken on the beach, I returned to the volleyball game with Marcus…" Sunhee began explaining to Trish how Marcus had taken every opportunity to brush against all the other female players and pretending to catch them when they fell over and hugging them.

When Sunhee had fallen, however, Marcus hadn't noticed. Instead, another man had extended his hand to help her up. She and that man then spent a lot of time getting to know one another for the rest of the day at the beach, and subsequently, other dates as well...

* * *

_"Remember to attend my wedding!"_

Sunhee's words echoed in Trish's mind as she looked at the small pile of wedding invitations she had recently received.

Trish made a call on her phone to 'Anytime'. Her call rang without an answer.

_DJ Ladybug: "In the world of love, working hard doesn't guarantee you good results. You might not reap what you sow. It's not that fair. _

A few minutes later, Trish received a call back from 'Anytime'.

_Sometimes when you're choosing someone, others are nit-picking on you too. In the handbook of love, there is no win or lose, no right or wrong. In fact, you might even be willing to sacrifice your rights and interests. A long relationship is bound to be dull as the man and woman are too used to each other. _

That evening, Trish and 'Anytime' wined and dined happily.

_You know each other's likes and weaknesses. You stop bothering to get jealous too. But one day, you'll question if this is really love. _

'Anytime' handed a gift to Trish. Her face lit up with a smile. She loved gifts.

_When love loses its spark, the longer two lovers are together, the more they dread to get married. Do you believe that getting married must be done rashly?_

'Anytime' leaned in to kiss Trish, but she pushed him away gently. "Let's get married," she whispered.

* * *

-end-

A/N: Whoa, what? Trish! Tsk tsk.

So…I had to use Billl. We need more male characters in Austin & Ally. I did a 'casting' list for the characters in my story and Austin's love interests alone outnumber the number of young guys. -_-;

Oh, and uh, Anytime is not an important character in this story. That's why I didn't assign him a proper name.

Leave a review! (:


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